Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris - 460: This Will Put Things in Perspective for You | Bonus Meditation with Alexis Santos

Episode Date: June 10, 2022

Start focused on what's truly important. When you pause to remember the big picture, your day can move forward grounded in integrity & wisdom.About Alexis Santos:Alexis Santos is a featured teacher on the Ten Percent Happier app and has been in the field of mindfulness and meditation since 2001. He has been a long-time student of Sayadaw U Tejaniya, with whom he ordained as a Buddhist monk, and has taught at retreat centers around the globe.To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Wake Up With Perspective,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=cb852965-67e4-4b4c-a2d0-c3765c3224bc.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does it even mean to live a good life? Is it about happiness, purpose, love, health, or wealth? What really matters in the pursuit of a life well lived? These are the questions award-winning author, founder, and interviewer Jonathan Fields asks his guests on the Top Ranked Good Life Project podcast. Every week, Jonathan sits down with world renowned thinkers and doers, people like Glenn and Doyle, Adam Grant,

Young Pueblo, Jonathan Height, and hundreds more. Start listening right now. Look for the Good Life project on your favorite podcast app. This is the 10% happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hey, hey, happy Friday. It's bonus meditation time. I know that for me, the times when I lose it in the most flagrant and unhealthy and unhelpful

ways, that often it's the result of losing perspective. My views of the world are out of whack in those moments quite frequently. So today, we've got a guided meditation to help you keep things in perspective. It comes from my friend Alexis Santos, who's a featured teacher over on the 10% happier app and also a long-time student of the Burmese master, Saida Utasia Nia, with whom he has ordained as a Buddhist monk in the past. So here we go now with Alexis. Good morning. This is Alexis. Morning time can offer a unique time to practice. Before we fully pick up all of the activities and roles that define us, that can

narrow our heart and attention, it can be meaningful to consider some of the deeper truths of our experience. In this meditation, we'll be exploring the wisdom that mindfulness practice reveals so as to have a more intentional, more meaningful rest of the day. Let's begin. Sit comfortably in a posture that feels natural to you, taking this time to rest the body. You can close your eyes if that's comfortable, or gently soften your gaze. Just sensing how this moment feels for you. How does the body feel? It's all changing from moment to moment.

Change is one of the most fundamental and significant truths of our lives. This entire universe is governed by change, from the physical elements, to the non-physical aspects of our minds. Reflecting on life through this lens reminds us not to be surprised when things change. Notice the changes taking place in this moment. How the in-breath begins, deepens and ends, and how the out breath begins. Take some time to explore this on your own. Learn to step back and observe the process of life as it unfolds. The breath, the body, feelings and thoughts. All are a part of the We can bring this reflection of change to a larger scale. There's one saying, for example, that every meeting ends in parting. This can be a tender realization.

Everyone we have met will also be parted from us. And rather than being depressing, remembering this can help us savor and appreciate our relationships and encounters even more, knowing they will eventually end. Stay with this reflection and notice what arises. Particularly when we have lost perspective of what really matters, these kinds of reflections can bring clarity and a sense of purpose and groundedness. Remembering this, we can sense the preciousness of this life. When you're ready, allow your eyes to open if they have been closed and reconnect with your surroundings. Thanks for your practice. I hope you have a good rest of the day.

Thank you to Alexis. We'll be back here on Monday for a brand new episode with Harvard's Susan David, an author and Ted Talker. And she's coined the phrase emotional agility. We'll talk to her about what that means coming up on Monday. [♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ Hey, hey, prime members. You can listen to 10% happier early and ad free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and ad free with 1-3-plus

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